EU calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately respect ceasefire

The European Union is very concerned by the latest armed incidents which caused a number of casualties along the Line of Contact and the Armenian-Azerbaijani State border in recent days, EU said in its statement.

"We call on both sides to immediately respect the ceasefire, refrain from the use of force or any threat thereof, and continue efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict".
The EU restated that it stands ready to engage in renewed efforts towards a political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and to further contribute to peace-building efforts, in full complement with the OSCE Minsk Group.

"We reiterate our full support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and the work of the three co-chairs, especially with regard to the need to continue negotiations at the highest level, as was agreed at the meeting between Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Vienna on November 19, 2013."

Armenian armed forces launched a diversion on the night of July 31-August 1, when reconnaissance and sabotage groups tried to cross the contact line of the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops through the territories of Aghdam and Terter regions. The situation remains tense on the frontline.

Moreover, Armenia's reconnaissance and sabotage group attacked the positions of Azerbaijani armed forces in the direction of Azerbaijan's Aghdam and Agdere regions on the night of August 1-2.
The units of Azerbaijani armed forces succeeded to foil the enemy's sabotage.

Attacks by Armenian reconnaissance and sabotage groups on Azerbaijan resulted in 13 Azerbaijani servicemen being killed and several being injured in recent days.

Armenia suffered even greater losses, although it tries to hide this fact from the public.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.